The subject matter of this application is related to the disclosure of pending U.S. Ser. No. 07/294 763.
Heretofore, in assembling panel materials such as a side panel and a rear panel of an article of furniture or the like, which panels are perpendicular to each other, the two panels have been secured using nails or bolts, for example, and then assembled. However, when nails are used, the panel materials sometimes absorb moisture. In view of the foregoing, there also was proposed a device in which a side panel, a top panel and a bottom panel forming a framework of the furniture article were each provided with a groove for permitting a rear panel to be inserted therein. In this case, the rear panel was simply inserted into the groove and the framework was assembled by being fixed with screws.
However, in recent years, more and more compression plywoods and veneer sheets have been used as furniture materials instead of natural wood. These furniture materials have shortcomings such as being weak and easy to break when, for example, screws are tightened too much. Also, when such veneer sheets are secured by screws, the screw holes are easily broken and the screws are easily loosened or come out. In addition, after the mounting position of a rear panel is secured, it is difficult to correct if necessary.
Similarly, the conventional device having a groove for insertion has shortcomings in that the rear panel tends to become loose and rattle since it is not secured to the side panels, etc. This is particularly serious for a stereo rack, for example, because if the rear panel becomes loose and rattles easily, unpleasant vibration noise will bother the listener during his or her listening to music. In addition, there are also involved shortcomings in that the rear panel merely functions as an ornament and if, for example, a force should be applied to such, the framework is crushed down at angles, and the framework will easily be deformed and thus the furniture will easily collapse.
Thus, there is a demand for development of an assembling device with which a rear panel and a side panel, for example, can be rigidly assembled with ease which allows the mounting position of the rear panel to be easily corrected, and with which collapsing of the furniture and generation of noise can be prevented.
Therefore, the construction of this invention is employed in an attempt to solve the above problems. That is, the subject matter of the present invention is an assembling device including:
a main case which is to be mounted on a base material, a cam rotatably disposed within said main case and having a cylindrical outer surface which is eccentric with a rotary shaft, and a retaining member having at one end thereof an engaging portion for engaging with the cylindrical outer surface of the cam and at the other end thereof a retaining portion adapted to retain a material-to-be-fixed (hereinafter referred to as the work material). The retaining member is reciprocally movable according to rotation of the cam and projects from and retracts into the main body. Rotation of the cam causes the work material to be retained by the retaining member so that the work material and the base material will be clamped or pressed together.
An assembling device according to the present invention is mounted on a base material first. Then, a cam is rotated to move a retaining member. By rotating the cam until the retaining portion of the retaining member is brought into abutment against one surface of the work material to apply a pressure thereto, the other surface of the work material is brought into abutment against the base material or the main case to apply a pressure thereto. As a result, the work material is held between the retaining portion and the base material or the work material is held between the retaining portion and the main case and intimately joined. As a result, the base material and the work material are rigidly assembled.